The CONCACAF Gold Cup is North America's major tournament in senior men's soccer and determines the continental champion. Until 1989, the CONCACAF Championship was the regions' primary competition. It is currently held every two years. In earlier editions, the continental championship was held in different countries, but since the inception of the Gold Cup in 1991, the United States have hosted or co-hosted every tournament. Since then it has expanded to more countries in North America.^[1]

From 1973 to 1989, the tournament doubled as the confederation's World Cup qualification. CONCACAF's representative team at the FIFA Confederations Cup was decided by a play-off between the winners of the last two tournament editions in 2015 via the CONCACAF Cup, but was then discontinued along with the Confederations Cup.

Since the inaugural tournament in 1963, the Gold Cup was held 27 times and has been won by seven different nations, most often by Mexico (12 titles).

Canada entered the tournament for the first time in 1973, and have qualified for 18 more tournaments since then. Often, they qualified automatically. Once, in 2015, Canada co-hosted the tournament. However, only two group matches were played in Toronto, and the rest at different venues within the United States. They again co-hosted in 2023, with a match played in Toronto like in 2015.

Canada is one of only four teams to have won the continental championship more than once. They won their first title in 1985, excluding Mexico (hosts) a year in which the tournament doubled as CONCACAF's qualification phase for the 1986 FIFA World Cup.^[2] The second title was won in 2000, when Canada beat invitees Colombia 2–0 in the final in Los Angeles.^[3] as well as Mexico and Trinidad and Tobago on route. Key to Canada’s success was Carlo Corazzin winning the golden boot and goalkeeper Craig Forrest winning best player, a rare accolade for a goalkeeper at an international tournament.

Overall record

CONCACAF Championship / Gold Cup record											Qualification record
Year	Result	Position	Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA	Squad		Pld	W	D*	L	GF	GA
1963	Did not enter										Did not enter
1965
1967
1969
1971
1973	Did not qualify										4	1	1	2	6	7
1977	Fourth place	4th	5	2	1	2	7	8	Squad		5	2	2	1	5	3
1981	Fourth place	4th	5	1	3	1	6	6	Squad		4	1	3	0	4	3
1985	Champions	1st	8	5	3	0	11	4	Squad		Qualified automatically
1989	Did not qualify										2	1	0	1	3	3
1991	Group stage	6th	3	1	0	2	6	9	Squad		Qualified automatically
1993	Group stage	6th	3	0	2	1	3	11	Squad
1996	Group stage	5th	2	1	0	1	4	5	Squad
1998	Withdrew										Withdrew
2000	Champions	1st	5	3	2	0	7	3	Squad		3	2	1	0	4	2
2002	Third place	3rd	5	2	2	1	5	4	Squad		Qualified automatically
2003	Group stage	9th	2	1	0	1	1	2	Squad
2005	Group stage	9th	3	1	0	2	2	4	Squad
2007	Semi-finals	3rd	5	3	0	2	9	5	Squad
2009	Quarter-finals	5th	4	2	1	1	4	3	Squad
2011	Group stage	9th	3	1	1	1	2	3	Squad
2013	Group stage	11th	3	0	1	2	0	3	Squad
2015	Group stage	10th	3	0	2	1	0	1	Squad
2017	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	2	1	6	5	Squad
2019	Quarter-finals	6th	4	2	0	2	14	6	Squad		4	4	0	0	18	1
2021	Semi-finals	4th	5	3	0	2	11	5	Squad		4	3	0	1	10	4
2023	Quarter-finals	6th	4	1	3	0	8	6	Squad		4	3	0	1	11	3
Total	2 Titles	19/27	76	30	23	23	106	93	—		30	17	7	6	61	26

*Denotes draws include knockout matches decided via penalty shoot-out.

1985 CONCACAF Championship

The 1985 Championship was played over a seven-month period. The nine teams played in three round-robin groups. The three winners played the final round-robin group in August and September.^[4]

Thanks to Canada's away win in Honduras three weeks earlier, Canada was one point ahead in the group table before the final match. This meant the winner would win the tournament and qualify for the 1986 FIFA World Cup. Considering the following 2–1 victory over Honduras came hand-in-hand with Canada's first and only World Cup qualification, it can be considered Canada's greatest success in soccer history. However, they managed to avoid the "big two", Mexico and the United States, because Mexico did not participate as hosts of the 1986 World Cup and the U.S. were eliminated by Costa Rica in the first round.^[5]

At the World Cup the following year, Canada was eliminated after three defeats in the Group Stage to France, Hungary and the Soviet Union.^[6]

Match overview

Round	Opponent	Score	Result	Venue	Scorer(s)
First round	Haiti	2–0	W	Victoria, Canada	I. Vrablic, M. Sweeney
	Guatemala	2–1	W	Victoria, Canada	D. Mitchell (2)
	Guatemala	1–1	D	Guatemala City, Guatemala	D. Mitchell
	Haiti	2–0	W	Port-au-Prince, Haiti	D. Mitchell, I. Vrablic
Final round	Costa Rica	1–1	D	Toronto, Canada	P. James
	Honduras	1–0	W	Tegucigalpa, Honduras	G. Pakos
	Costa Rica	0–0	D	San José, Costa Rica
	Honduras	2–1	W	St John's, Canada	G. Pakos, I. Vrablic

2000 CONCACAF Gold Cup

At the 2000 Gold Cup, twelve nations were divided into four groups of three teams, the first two of which would qualify for the knock-out matches. With Colombia, Peru and South Korea, three Non-CONCACAF-members participated as invitees.

After all three matches of Canada's Group D ended as draws, a coin toss was needed to determine whether Canada or South Korea would advance to the knockout stage. Canada won the toss and eventually the tournament, eliminating Mexico on the way and winning the final 2–0 against Colombia.^[7][8]

The title victory allowed Canada to represent CONCACAF at the 2001 Confederations Cup, where they were eliminated in the Group Stage.^[9]

Match overview

Round	Opponent	Score	Result	Venue	Scorer(s)
Group stage	Costa Rica	2–2	D	San Diego, United States	C. Corazzin (2)
	South Korea	0–0	D	Los Angeles, United States
Quarter-finals	Mexico	2–1 (a.e.t.)	W	San Diego, United States	C. Corazzin, R. Hastings
Semi-finals	Trinidad and Tobago	1–0	W	Los Angeles, United States	M. Watson
Final	Colombia	2–0	W	Los Angeles, United States	J. de Vos, C. Corazzin

See also

• Canada at the FIFA World Cup

References